Date: February 23rd 2008

Feb 22, 2008

Sonja Alexander Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1761 sonja r alexander@nasa gov

Emily Sturgill Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va 757-272-9859 emily r sturgill@nasa gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-038

NASA CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY AT CHARLOTTE CIAA TOURNAMENT

WASHINGTON - NASA is partnering with the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and Discovery Place Inc to celebrate the agency's 50th anniversary by bringing the excitement of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education to Charlotte, N C

The 63rd CIAA Tournament runs from Feb 25 to March 1 The annual event is made up of 11 historically black colleges and universities and showcases athletic competition through six days of men's and women's basketball

NASA's theme for the week of events, "Destination: Moon and Mars - Paving the Way for Humans," reflects the agency's goal of inspiring the next generation of explorers and encouraging students to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics as the nation prepares to return humans to the moon and explore the Red Planet

Hands-on exhibits, moon rocks, and a Martian meteorite will be on display at Discovery Place NASA-sponsored professional development workshops for teachers and future teachers will be held at Johnson C Smith University in Charlotte during the tournament The workshops will provide information on ways to enhance math and science curricula by taking advantage of NASA educational materials

Astronaut Charles F Bolden, Jr , will be present during the tournament and available for interviews on Feb 29 from 1:30 to 2:30 p m EST Also attending will be Charles Scales, NASA's associate deputy administrator, and Bernice Alston, the deputy assistant administrator for education programs Reporters interested in scheduling interviews should contact Sonja Alexander on 202-577-6571 or Emily Sturgill on 757-272-9859

For more information about the CIAA tournament, visit:

http://www ciaatournament org

For information about NASA's education programs, visit:

http://education nasa gov

For information about Discovery Place, visit:

http://www discoveryplace org

For complete biographical information about Bolden, visit:

http://www jsc nasa gov/Bios/htmlbios/bolden-cf html

-end-

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